One Day More
by PrincessAlica
Summary: Rhett is grieving for Bonnie and asks for one more day.  Will his request bring him peace or only being him more sorrow?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own GWTW or any of the characters, but this part of the story is mine. I make nothing from the writing of this other than to hone my skills and as a form of catharsis. I've had writer's block lately. Sorry I haven't been posting, but here is something from me... my first post of this new year. hopefully I will get my grove back! Thanks for reading!

It had been a year —one year, one month, two days and 21 hours since his world had ended. The early days had been filled with so much alcohol, that he wondered if someone had stabbed him in those dark days whether blood would have poured from his broken veins or if whiskey would have poured out instead. He recalled with stunning clarity how people had looked at him, unsure of what they could say, and so often they had said nothing at all. And worst of all was when those well meaning people had so strategically avoided Bonnie, that it made him feel like they were pretending that she had never existed. Despite the pain of his loss, he was thankful for every moment that he had had with her. But the loss had changed him, irrevocably. He remembered little of those first few months after she was lost, aside from an all consuming guilt that rendered him useless and frozen. His daughter's blood was on his head and on his hands.

Finally while Scarlett was gone with Wade and Ella to a resort in Marietta, he had finally sobered up for the first time in months. And he realized that if he were to survive then he needed to leave or he would surely die – slowly drinking himself into an early grave. And he had only been able to sober up while she was away. Her constant presence, the grief that he could see etched in her eyes, drove him to the brink of insanity. And she looked all together too much like his lost child. And so he had needed to immerse himself in alcohol to numb the pain that being near to her only intensified.

And so he had left. He had been so numb, too tired to fight. He had had to leave, no matter what was happening with her.

He knew that he had left her at absolutely at the worst moment possible, but he knew that he had to leave at that moment, or he would never leave. He would stay and die a slow torturous death. And so in a way even that was a kindness.

No, that was a lie. There was nothing kind in the way that he had left her. There was no kindness in the way that he told her that all of the feelings that he had left for her was pity and kindness. No, those were the only two emotions that he could claim that would wound her. And he wanted to hurt her. She was surviving, despite all that had happened to her, and he wanted to bring her to her knees. He was angered at those who had had warned him and her that they shouldn't attached to a child before a certain age, because after all children were so very fragile. But she was coping. She was coping and moving on and yet he was floundering. He was failing everyone – most of all himself. She was stronger than he was. He wanted lash out at her and say that she hadn't loved Bonnie, and that was how she was managing so nicely. But she was grieving. He could hear her crying at night, and yet because she was coping better than he was he wanted to punish her. He wanted her to hurt like he was hurting, and he knew exactly what would wound her the very most. It hadn't been fair to her, but then again life was not fair.

But now, now things were changing. He was not whole, far from it. His heart was still raw and bleeding and bruised, but it was not such a mortal wound any longer. His heart was healing, and the numbness had begun to fade. He had hidden himself away at his family's ancestral home in Charleston and licked his wounds like a dying animal. And eventually the healing began. And he had survived.

And so now, months and months of missing his child had passed, and he was slowly coming to his senses and finding himself again. He would never be whole. A part of his heart was forever lost, but life was beginning to spring anew. He once again displayed his favorite portrait of Bonnie in his room, and occasionally he could even pass by it with only a smile instead of tears, for she had brought him so much joy. And occasionally he could remember the joy of the time spent with her, without being blinded by the pain.

In all of the time since he had left Scarlett, he had not returned. He had made his promises, but he could not bear to see her just yet. But that day would come eventually because she was still a poison in his blood, a siren calling to him through the dark storm. And he knew that eventually he would go to see how she was. And he regretted leaving the children as he had. They had lost more than they should have ever had to bear. And his absence had left him with nothing other than a distant grieving mother who had been merely an adequate, though not loving or affectionate mother. Melanie had been as much a mother to Scarlett's children as she herself had been. And so they have virtually become orphans at his leaving. No child deserved that. And yet he had abandoned them as surely as he had abandoned Scarlett.

She had written him many times since he had left. She had not been pleading or begging. She was very concise with her words and details of her children's lives. And he felt terribly guilty for this. But to see Ella and Wade would make him think of how Bonnie should have been there, of the moments when he had wished that it had been one of Scarlett's children that had died instead of his own precious baby girl. Of course the guilt from those thoughts nearly ate him alive, but even then he couldn't stop wondering what it would have been like. The children were doing well enough it seemed. Wade was becoming quite the accomplished student while Ella was making some progress as well. But even without pleading for it, he knew that Scarlett still waited for him to return. He answered her letters with as few words as he could manage, sending many packages of gifts to try and assuage his own guilt. He wanted the children to still know that he cared, even if he hadn't taken the time to visit them, at least the gifts made him feel like he hadn't completely abandoned them.

But he pushed thoughts of Scarlett aside for the moment, as he mind returned to the person that most preoccupied his mind—Bonnie. He closed his eyes, and bowed his head. "God, if you will only give me one more day with her, then I will atone for my sins. All I ask is for one more day." He set his now empty glass on the end table and leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, dreaming of what such a day would entail as the heaven's opened up and the wind tore around the house. One more day wasn't such a great thing to ask for, was it?"


	2. Chapter 2

**This has been sitting in a file for a while. Yes, there is a lot of me in this, and yes I did get my one day more. But understanding the grief of losing a child, although obviously in a different way, I thought that I had unique insight into Rhett, and I thought that I should and could share this with others. One Day more is a both a blessing and a curse. Thanks for reading and reviewing ! :)**

He awoke slowly. His senses on full alert. Something was amiss, but just what that was he couldn't quite put his finger on. He felt as though someone was watching him, and when he cautiously opened his eyes, he was startled to find himself staring into bright blue eyes that held a mischievous twinkle. "Bonnie… Baby?" He questioned, his voice cracking as he spoke.

"Of course, Daddy. It's me." She giggled, her sweet voice trilling like a piccolo.

He reached out to brush her hair from her face, and was confused when this image did not vanish as soon as his fingers came in contact with the warm smooth skin. He brushed an errant hair from her face, relishing the silky texture of her curls. "Baby. How are you here?"

"You missed me so much, Daddy. Even more than mother or Ella." She responded, not seeming to realize how bizarre that statement was. "You needed me daddy. You asked for one more day."

"So you know what happened. It really did happen. And I'm not just dreaming." He said staring at the empty glass beside him. He had fallen asleep in his chair, and this had to be the most bizarre dream he had ever encountered.

But suddenly she was in his arms, as solid as ever, her arms pulled so tightly around his neck that he was surprised by her strength. He savored the moment, the weight of her in his arms, the feel of her hair brushing his face. Even if this was a dream, he didn't want to wake from it, but it was too real to be a dream.

She added in one extra squeeze before moving from his embrace, and he drank in the sight of her. She had changed, not a great deal, but just subtly enough to appear that she was another year older, as if time had not stopped for her on that fateful day. Her smile was as bright as it had ever been, but the look in her eyes showed a wiser and more cautious person, even if the difference is only that of a four year old aging into a five year old. Her face a slimmed a bit, losing just a hint of that babyish aspect to her cherubic face.

She reached out her hand, and he was helpless to do anything but follow her and do as she bid. "Don't worry, Daddy. I remember when you brought me out here when I was little. You wanted to show me the house you were a little boy in."

And she did seem to know precisely where she was going and what she was doing. And at every moment conceivable he stopped her briefly to drop a kiss on her cheek, to hold her in his arms, and breathe softly 'I love you'."

To which she would smile, "I know, daddy."

It didn't matter what they did over the course of this day. It didn't matter what they did, as long as they were together. His baby girl belonged in his arms, and as long as she was there, the world was once more right. He felt like he had been living in a world where all light had been extinguished, where the sun had ceased to burn, and all of a sudden he was basking in the warm glow that it once again provided. His heart could begin to thaw, and the icy tentacles around his heart were falling away.

And even though the day was rapidly slipping by, he was thankful for this day that he had never imagined that he would have. He had asked for a day, and his request had been granted. He had to be thankful for the moments that he was given, rather than allowing the sorrow that was to soon return to consume him.

Each moment was like the breath of life breathing into him new life. And he could feel the minutes and hours slipping all too quickly past him, and there was nothing that he could do to stop it. They stayed up much too late, filling the hours with giggles and hugs and the innocent declarations from a child of eternal love. After all he could sleep when he didn't have her here with him. This time was too precious for sleep. She couldn't keep her eyes open though, and as if she were a normal five year old she was fading quickly. And so he sat rocking her in his arms, as he had done since she was a tiny baby, and he sang her to sleep, an added timbre in the depth of emotion in his voice, waiting for the end of the night to sing to her a song that was made for her alone.

As he finished the lullaby that Scarlett had sung to the children for as long as he could remember, he added the normal query that followed, "Guess what?" He asked with a tremble in his voice.

Her eyes filled with tears, "Don't Daddy," She asked softly.

He was stunned by her reaction, for she had always loved it when he had sang to her, when he made silly songs or when he crooned a lullaby written for her alone. And so he softly brushed a tear from her eye, "sweet heart, why don't you want me to sing your song?" But then he understood, staring into those deep blue eyes, it was the one thing that she missed the most, and everything else could be enjoyed, but his songs brought back memories of her life, and the emotions were too strong for a five year old to manage. He nodded, fighting his own tears, "All right. Can I still ask you the questions?" She nodded solemnly. "Guess what?

"What?" she returned, peering up at him through dark lashes, a bright smile hovering on her lips, replacing the quivering lower lip and teary eyes.

"I love you," he whispered reverently, as he dropped a gentle kiss to the tip of her upturned nose.

"I know that daddy" she offered sleepily, her small arms steadily growing limp and loose as sleep claimed her. And he continued to hold her and rock her, savoring the weight of her limp warm body in his arms and the warm moist breath caressing his chest. And most of all he found himself lulled to utter peace by the steady rhythm of the beating of her heart. No moment could be more perfect than this.


	3. Chapter 3

**THis is the last installment of this short little story. I hope that you enjoyed it. I need to get back into the swing of things with my other stories. Perhaps rereading GWTW will help things. Its a great idea Angela! I hope that this story hasn't been too sad. It has been very good for me to write. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Trying to get back in the swing...if only I could pull a dear Capt..with me... Ahhh... I'm shutting up now... so go ahead read the ending already.**

The next morning he awakened in his chair, an empty glass beside him. He couldn't tell if a day had passed or if it was only a dream. But if it had been a dream, it was the most vivid dream ever dreamed. He stood slowly, smoothing his jacket, surprised to find a small blue flower tucked into the pocket which he had once kept filled with treats for the children. It was a forget-me-not. "I promise I could never forget you." He whispered as he cradled the blossom in the palm of his hand. He scent of her hair still lingered on him, the way a scent of a burning fireplace remains long after the flames have been extinguished. She was with him, although he could find no reasonable explanation for it.

His heart did not ache in the way that he had expected it to, although her absence was still keenly felt. The calm he felt was almost eerie, and he wondered what someone who knew him would say if they could see him now, knowing how he reacted to her loss in the beginning. Perhaps someone knew that one day more would be so valued and treasured that it was exactly what he needed to begin to heal from this loss, a loss he never could have imagined the depths of until he was held in its icy clutches.

And yet as he relived the day in his mind, he couldn't block out Bonnie's words "You missed me so much, Daddy. Even more than mother or Ella." He had no power to help Bonnie, or prevent his heart from aching for her, but he could try and be there for Ella. Dear sweet Ella, who only wanted him to love her as much as he had loved Bonnie. The thought made him feel as though he had been punched in the gut. He was hurting Ella. To hell with Scarlett, she could burn in hell for all he cared, and yet that wasn't true. He missed her fiercely, although he fought desperately against that feeling. But as time passed her missed her more and more, as had been the case every time he was away from her. He had tried to escape the power of his feelings for her, and he had never succeeded, and it looked like that he never would.

He shrugged his shoulders and rose from the chair. It was time to return; he had already been away too long. He would never admit to Scarlett that he missed her; he could visit under the guise of being there for the children. He could pretend for all the world that they were still together, and yet somehow he understood that Scarlett had changed at least to some degree and it might be impossible to fool her completely. But as if Bonnie was still in his arms, begging for her mother, he was powerless to the pull that Atlanta had on him. He would return.

As he slowly packed his luggage, he knew that his life would change once again. It was time to move on and to make amends. And there was no one that he needed to make his apologies to like Scarlett. Looking back now, he could see his mistakes, but he'd be damned if he admitted them. He might even apologize for some of his misconduct, but he knew that he wasn't ready to swallow his pride and account for all of his failings, and if he did Scarlett would enjoy it too much. He would apologize to the children for his absence, and move back in for a while.

And he also needed to visit Bonnie's grave and let her know how much he loved her once again. He could never tell her enough how much she meant to him. He also needed that final connection to find his way to a goodbye. How he hated goodbye, but he had no choice.

Bonnie's visit, if that was what it could be called, had triggered something inside of him. It was as if her visit was what he needed to find his way home. That one requested day had brought him a peace that he had been unable to find in anything else. Bonnie gave him something no one else could give.

He wondered for a moment at Scarlett's reaction to his return. He had been cruel to her, leaving as he had when she needed him. But he knew that he could not have survived there another day. He needed peace, and living through another death would have brought him no peace. His heart was too wounded to survive that house any longer, let alone more time in Scarlett's presence.

But he knew, as he had always known that somehow, someway, that they belonged together, and perhaps now, if she could find a way to forgive him, they could finally see things eye to eye. The time had passed for her to be wearing black as she had donned that hot July day.

But he knew in his heart that some things had changed since he had left, but now was finally the time for him to return and try to mend that which was broken. He had claimed once that he wasn't one to do that, ant for anyone else he would not have, but with Scarlett he had no choice. They were meant to be together, and now he knew that he must return and give her the chance and give himself the chance to makes things work. It was finally time to give Scarlett one day more, as he had been given one day more, and perhaps that one day would be enough to heal the wounds and find a way to bring peace to where there had been none. But he knew that he had been granted the unimaginable, and it was his duty to pay it forward to Scarlett. He picked up the flower that he had set aside, holding it carefully in his hands. It was the only reminder of Bonnie's visit, and he would never part with it. He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wrapped up the small blossom and placed the package in his wallet. It was to him a talisman to protect the future that he might have, as well as a reminder to never forget the love of one small girl, and one very special day that he had never imagined to have.


End file.
